The New Probie
by B.Stryker
Summary: A new agent is assigned to Agent Gibb's team. Will he make it as a NCIS agent or will he crack under pressure? Read and Find out!
1. His First Case

Hey everyone I got a new story for you. This one is a far reach from my others. I'm taking a jab at NCIS this time around. So sit back and enjoy.

…...

It was a foggy Monday morning in DC. The NCIS crew are walking into the office like it's like every other day. However there is something that is off. Seated at one of the spare cubes in the back of the Bullpen is seated someone they don't recognize. This person is a young man is sitting at the desk drumming on it with a pencil in his mouth.

"Who's the kid?" Tony DiNozzo asked Timmy McGee and Ziva David, as he sat down at his desk..

"No idea. Never seen him before." McGee said sitting his bag down behind his desk, sitting down.

"Well maybe we should ask him then." Ziva said showing that straight to the point attitude she owns.

Before any of them can ask, Gibbs walks into the Pen, B-lining to his desk. He stops when he notices the kid in the cube.

"Who the hell are you?" Gibbs asked, the three others looking over. The kid turned around and took the pencil out of his mouth and was about to speak when the director walked in

"He's your newest agent." Director Leon Vance said walking into the pen, the kid standing up. "Fresh out of selection from Philadelphia."

"4 years of military training sir." The kid said.

"You got a name kid?" Gibbs asked.

"Brain Cice sir." The kid said.

"What branch of the military you from?" Gibbs asked.

"Marines sir." Brian said.

"You don't have to call me sir." Gibbs said, drawing a slight chuckle out of Tony and Mcgee.

"Oh sorry." Brian said turning a light pink.

"It's okay. Do you know what you're getting into?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes I do." Brian said.

Gibbs stared at Brian for alittle, sizing him up. After a few more moments of awkward silence, Gibbs smiled alittle.

"Welcome to the team kid." Gibbs said patting Brian's shoulder, walking back to his desk, answering his phone.

Brian smiled in relief as the small grill session ended. Brian sat back down as the three other agents walked over.

"Pleased to meet ya Probie. Name's Tony." Tony said introducing himself to Brian.

"Save the intros for later. We got a call. We got an abandoned body and a crime scene to set up. New Kid, you're coming too." Gibbs said.

"Oh okay." Brian said getting up and following Gibbs and the others.

35 minutes later, Brian was standing on the side of a road, staring at a dead body. It was the first dead body Brian has seen up close. It was awe inspiring and pretty gross in its own ways.

"This man was found by a jogger at 10:45 this morning." McGee said taking pictures of the body.

"Man is John Doe. No forms of id anywhere on his body. Also no cell phone. Whoever this man was, either was under the radar or has had his identity stolen." Tony said.

That was when the corner came up. He knelt down next to the body, put on his latex gloves, and started to check the body. He also noticed Brian staring at the body.

"Ah, you must be the new recruit I've heard about." He said with a smile. Brian smiled and knelt down next to him.

"Yes sir. Name's Brian Cice." Brian said.

"Dr. Mallard but you can call me Ducky." Ducky said. "First time seeing a dead body?"

"That obvious?" Brian asked.

"Alittle. Of course it's a natural reaction. The fear of a dead body dates back to the Bubonic Plague actually." Ducky said checking for wounds.

"For the fear that it was diseased right?" Brian asked.

"Correct. Ever since then we have seen the dead as diseased filled more than a person we may have known or loved. Ah Gibbs, I believe we found the cause of death." Ducky said.

"What did you find?" Gibbs asked kneeling down.

"I believe our cause of death has officially become a murder…" Ducky says pointing to a fresh bullet wound located right in the region of the chest where the heart is.

"That's a 40 millimeter bullet wound." Brian said.

"You think so?" Gibbs asked, sounding somewhat impressed. "Ducky..."

"Yes yes. When we get out Mr. Doe back to the lab, we'll check for a bullet." Ducky said calling over his assistant Palmer to help load the body onto the gurney and pushing him into the ambulance.

Several hours later, after all the loose ends are tied up, Brian headed back to the office with the rest of the agents. As Brian sat at his desk in the back, he constantly felt like someone was watching him. He turned around to see Tony, Ziva, and McGee all staring at him, studying him almost.

"Can I help you?" Brian asked.

"Just trying to get a gauge from you Probie." Tony said. "Like how you came into our field."

"It's simple. I was studying forensics while receiving my marine training. After I graduated, I was assigned to the NCIS. And here I am." Brian said. As he was explaining his little back story, a woman came running up. She was an oddly dressed woman, wearing mostly black clothes, heels, and had two pig tails in her hair. Brian connected the look to a gothic style.

"Is he the one I was hearing about?" The woman asked Ziva, who simply nodded. The woman then came up and pulled Brian into a tight hug, getting a laugh from Tony and McGee. "Oh it's a pleasure to meet you." She said finally letting go of Brian after almost crushing him. "I'm Abby. I work in the labs doing forensics."

"Hi, I'm Brian….are you a hugger?" He asked.

"I am." Abby said smiling proudly.

"I'll keep that in mind." Brian said rubbing his sore ribs, sitting down as Gibbs walked in with his coffee and a large Café-Pow.

"Abby." Gibbs said handing her the giant drink.

"Already ahead of you Gibbs. I've ran a diagnostic on our mystery man to get his identity." Abby said sipping her drink.

"And?" Gibbs asked.

"He was Eric Perez. Make that Private First Class Eric Perez. He was stationed on a navy vessel that docked into the harbor last week." McGee said putting the dead man's navy picture on the big screen. "From what I could dig up, Perez was the stereotypical recruit. Excited to be serving and was always willing to better himself."

"Which begs the question. Why would someone off this kid?" Gibbs asked. "Kid, go check up on Ducky's report."

"Yes Gibbs." Brian said getting up. He walked out of the of the Bullpen and turned left, getting a chuckle out of from crew. "Other way kid." Gibbs said rolling his eyes.

"I knew that." Brian said walking the other way. He got into the elevator and headed down to the morgue where Ducky was busy with the body.

"Ah yes, Mr. Cice, I was actually just finishing my exam and I believe your hunch was in fact correct." Ducky said motioning Brian over. Ducky held up a small glass jar with a bullet in it.

"Anything else Ducky?" Brian asked looking at the opened dead body, going alittle pale in the face.

"Oh yes. His wrists are scarred and burned which I believe says that he tied up." Ducky said. "Is something wrong, Mr. Cice?"

"It's just I'm looking….at another's man liver…." Brian said shaking his head. "So he was tied up? Anything else?"

"Yes. There was some bruising on the top of his head which came from a blow to the head. Non-lethal though." Ducky said.

"So now we must figure out who and why did this." Brian said. "I'm gonna go take the bullet over to Abby. Thanks Ducky." Brian said.

"My pleasure Mr. Cice." Ducky said as Brian left the morgue to head to the lab. When he got to the lab, Abby was there along with Ziva and Tony.

"Abby, found the bullet, could you run it through?" Brian asked holding up the jar with the bullet.

"Of course." Abby said taking the bullet.

"What we watching here?" Brian asked standing next to Tony.

"Surveillance footage from the highway where Perez was found." Tony said studying the camera footage.

"Any luck?" Brian asked.

"No. The camera wasn't pointing at where Perez was dumped during that time." Ziva said.

"It's never that easy is it?" Brian asked.

"No it's not." Tony said.

"Well they say patience is a virtual." Ziva said, getting a confused look from Brian.

"It's virtue Ziva, and Brian you get used to Ziva's…..Ziva-isms." Tony said earning a glare from Ziva.

"Well either way, this is a dead end. We are gonna need to start from circle one." Ziva said.

"Square one and yes." Tony said.

"And who says the first day has to be easy." Brian said shaking his head.

…

There we go the first chapter of my new fanfic. Hope you people like it. NCIS is still somewhat newish to me. So I only have what I've seen to go on. I promise to get better as we go along.


	2. The Only Easy Day was Yesterday

It's been 2 days since Brian joined the NCIS, and got to be part of his first investigation. Only problem it's not as fast paced as he thought it would be. Abby has been hard at work analyzing the bullet that Ducky pulled out of Eric Perez. While they were waiting for the results, Gibbs had McGee and Brian doing a background check on Perez.

"Alight. McGee, Brian, what did you find?" Gibbs asked walking into the Pen.

"I got Perez's military background. He graduated from Fort Worth, top 10% of his class. He specialized in engineering and mechanics while there. His job on the naval vessel was fixing anything." McGee said.

"I got his person files. He was an only child born to a military family. Dad was a Lt. Colonel in the air force. Died 25 years ago when Perez was little. Mom died 5 years ago. He was married to a school teacher named Emily for 3 years now, no children." Brian said standing next to McGee.

"The wife did it." Tony said. "Black Widow."

"Tony was do you always say it's the wife?" Ziva asked.

"Cause it happens more than you think." Tony said.

Gibbs walked over to Tony and gave him a slap to the back of the head.

"Focus." Gibbs said. That was when Abby came running up to them.

"Guys, the lab work is done. Come on down!" She said quickly scurrying off to her lab, followed by Gibbs and the agents.

"Alright Abby what did you find?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, I tested the bullet and Brian's hunch was right. It is in fact a .40 pistol that killed Private Perez. I also ran his stomach contants through and I came back with several drugs. Everything from aspirin to heroin.

"He was a druggie?" Tony asked.

"Well if he was, we got possible motive.I want both the vessel and his home checked out now. Tony, McGee."

"You want us to talk to his widow?" Tony asked somewhat hopefully.

"No, I want you on that ship. Ziva, take the kid and talk to Perez's wife." Gibbs said.

The agents nodded and started heading for their cars.

"I'll drive Brian." Ziva said, causing both McGee and Tony to flinch alittle.

"What's with the faces?" Brian asked.

"You'll see…" McGee said, earning a glare from Ziva.

Brian was confused. 10 minutes later he understood completely as him and Ziva pulled up to Perez's house. Brian was seated in the passenger's seat, gripping the door handle with a death grip. Ziva drove like a mad woman possessed.

"Well…..that was…..a new experience…" Brian said not releasing his grip.

"So I like to drive alittle fast. It is a bad thing?" Ziva asked.

No….that spin to avoid the guy on the scooter was pretty impressive though." Brian said.

"He was driving super slow." Ziva said defensively.

"He was. Though I think the screaming at him in Hebrew was alittle much." Brian said.

"Let's just get in there." Ziva said getting out of the car, with Brian following.

The two walked up to Perez's house and knocked. They waited for a moment before Perez's wife answered the door.

"Yes?" She asked. She was clearly crying as her eyes where all puffy and red.

"Hello Mrs. Perez. Sorry to bother you but we have a few questions about your husband. May we come in?" Ziva asked.

"Of course. Come on in." Emily said let the two in. She led them to the living room where she sat down on the couch and started wiping her eyes with some tissues. "I just can't believe he's gone. He was always so sweet to me."

"He didn't happen to have any enemies?" Ziva asked.

"No. Everybody loved him. He was the nicest man you could ever meet." Emily said.

"Did Eric seem odd before he left?" Ziva asked.

"No. He seem completely normal." Emily answered.

"When we ran lab tests on your husband, we found traces of heroin in his system. Did you know about this?" Ziva said.

"No…not at all. I never even thought Eric would even do drugs. He never even drank." Emily said starting to cry.

While Ziva was asking Emily the questions and getting her to stop crying, Brian looked around the room, really admiring the decoration they have done.

"Mrs. Perez, did Eric have any guns that he kept in the house? Whether for hunting or protection purposes?" Brian asked.

"He had a hand gun hidden in case of a break in." Emily said.

"May we see it?" Ziva asked.

Emily nodded. She stood up and lead the two to her bed room. She went up to her night stand and opened the drawer. She then pulled out a 40 millimeter S&W Glock. Brian held out a plastic evidence bag and had Emily put the gun in it.

"You don't honestly believe I killed him do you?" Emily asked.

"Sorry but we have to at least keep the possibility open." Brian said.

Emily nodded as Brian and Ziva said their goodbyes and left the house.

"Was it me, or was she alittle to upset? Like it was all an act?" Brian asked Ziva when they got back into the car.

"Don't know. Something wasn't right though." Ziva said.

"The fact they have a .40 in the house concerns me. In can't be coincidence that they have one in the house." Brian said. "Guess we just gotta get this gun back to the lab and let Abby have her way with it."

"Right. I'd buckle up if I was you." Ziva said turning the car on. Brian was just able to get his seat belt on before Ziva burned out and speed off, heading back to the office.

When they got back to the offices, Ziva took the gun and headed to give it to Abby as Brian went back to the Pen, where Tony and McGee were.

"How was it driving with Ziva?" Tony asked.

"A 30 minute drive took 10….." Brian said.

"That's one good thing about her. She can get you anywhere in no time at all." Tony said.

"Alright. What did we find out about Perez?" Gibbs asked walking in.

"According to his wife Eric was nice to everyone and said she had no idea that Eric was doing drugs. Also we found a 40 millimeter in their home. Ziva is bringing down to Abby to see if it matches our mysterious bullet." Brian said.

"We got a different picture at the military base. Perez was a loner, who had violent tendencies. He frequently got in scuffles with the others soldiers. Also there were rumors that he was selling himself for drug money." Tony said standing up from his desk.

"What do you mean 'selling himself'?" Gibbs asked.

"You mean he was whoring himself out for heroin?" Brian asked.

"From the look of things yes. This ship has had problems with that before so it wouldn't be a surprise. Which also means we have possible motive." McGee said.

"We won't know anything until we get the answers back from the lab." Gibbs said walking off.

"So what do we do now?" Brian asked.

"You sit down." Tony said pulling his desk chair into the center of the pen.

Brian, confused, sat down. Tony then grab turned his desk lamp and shone the light into Brian's face.

"What is this all about?" Brian asked, trying to block the light from his eyes.

"Consider it alittle test. Name three of Jack Nicholson's characters." Tony said as McGee rolled his eyes and sat down at his desk and started typing on his computer.

"R.P. McMurphy from One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack Torrance from the Shinning, and Col. Nathan R. Jessup from A Few Good Men." Brian said still confused.

"Okay smart guy. Name a John Wayne movie!" Tony said.

"True Grit." Brian answered.

"Okay…that was an easy one." Tony said.

"What are you doing Tony?" Ziva asked walking into the pen.

"Just testing the probie. You know checking his knowledge." Tony said defensively.

"By asking him about movies?" McGee asked.

"Oh hush up McGoo. Having a knowledge of movies is skill set that is very handy. You never know when you might have to use it." Tony said.

"In your case too often." Ziva said sitting down at her desk.

"Is Abby running the gun through?" Brian asked standing up from the chair as Tony pushed it back to his desk.

"Yes. We should get an answer soon." Ziva said.

Brian went back over to his desk and sat down. He looked over the case file on Perez for a while. About 2 hours later, Gibbs came walking by.

"Let's go, Abby has some answers for us." He said.

"Hopefully." Tony said as the 4 of them got up and followed Gibbs to Abby's lab. When they got down there, Abby was dancing around to loud music while drinking her Café-Pow.

"Ah, Gibbs. Right on time. I did what you asked and ran test on the .40 that Ziva and Brian brought in. Turns out that gun is clean. Nothing was fired out of it." Abby said.

"Could it have been cleaned after it was shot?" Brian asked, feeling like that would be a stupid question, after asking it.

"I thought that too, but when I ran a test to check for any cleaning chemicals, nothing came up. The gun is 100% clean. However, when I ran the bullet, I actually found something." Abby said typing onto her keyboard. "On the edge of the bullet, I found a partial finger print. Turns out our killer wasn't that smart."

"Did you run it through?" Gibbs asked.

"I did. And I got a match and I think you'll be surprised." Abby said typing some more. On the computer screen in front of them appeared the mug shot of a man. "Hector Martinez. A known drug dealer in the area."

"Tony go get a BOLO on this guy. McGee, run a background on him." Gibbs said. "Ziva and Brian I want you to go back to Perez's house and keep an eye on Emily." He added.

Brian nodded and followed Ziva out of the lab. 30 minutes later, the two were pulling up to the Perez house.

"Is that door kicked in?" Brian asked.

"It is. Come on." Ziva said quickly getting out of the car and drawing her gun. Brian followed suit and drew his gun.

The two slowly made their way up to the door, Ziva leading. When they got there, she peaked inside as Brian stood behind her. She motioned her head, telling Brian to head inside and start looking around. Brian nodded and headed inside. He walked towards the living room, where he saw Emily's arm for a split second. He rushed in just to find the man from the mug shot earlier, holding Emily, a gun pointing to her head, using her as a shield.

"NCIS! Put the gun down!" Brian shouted pointing his gun at Hector.

"You put your gun down or else she joins her husband!" Hector shouted.

"Don't do anything stupid Hector! Come quietly and nothing will happen!" Brian said keeping his gun pointed at Hector.

"I want my fucking money! I want the money that bastard owes me!" Hector said, pushing the barrel of his gun into the side of Emily's head, as tears streamed down her face.

That was when Ziva struck and shot Hector in the hand. He screamed as he let go of Emily. Emily quickly ran towards Ziva as Brian moved closer.

"Hector Martinez, you're under arrest for the murder of Private Eric Perez." Brian said going to cuff Hector's hands. Suddenly Hector lunged forward and started to wrestle Brian trying to take his gun. As the two struggled, a gunshot rang out. He looked down at his gun, which was pointing right at Hector. Hector groaned and fell down lifeless, a pool of blood forming.

Ziva helped get Hector off of Brian and helped him up. Brian just stared at the body.

"I'll go call Gibbs." Ziva said.

20 minutes later, Gibbs and the rest of the agents where there as they were getting Hector's body into the ambulance. Ziva and McGee where talking to Emily while Tony was taking picture of the house and Hector. Brian, on the other hand, just watched as Ducky and Palmer wheeled Hector's body in the ambulance. Gibbs then walked over.

"What does this mean for me boss?" Brian asked.

"The way I see, according to Ziva and Emily, it was self defense." Gibbs said patting Brian on the shoulder.

Brian watched the ambulance drive off as everyone finished up the clean up. Later that evening, Brian was sitting at his desk, finishing the paper work on the case. He sighed, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face.

"Everything alright Brian?" He heard someone asked. He turned around to see Ziva standing behind him.

"Not really. I just can't get over the fact I took someone's life today. 25 years old and I killed a man." Brian said running his hand through his hair.

"The first one is never easy." Ziva said simply.

"When was yours?" Brian asked.

"In Israel when I was part of the Mossad. I was 18" Ziva said.

"I hope I never have to do it again." Brian said.

"That's gonna be tough, especially in our line of work. Just remember that what you did today helped save Emily Perez's life and possibly more down the road." Ziva said.

"Yeah I know." Brian said.

Just then Tony and McGee came walking into the pen and grabbed their bags.

"Hey we're going to get coffee. You two wanna join?" McGee asked.

"Sure. You coming Brian?' Ziva asked.

"Sure why not." Brian said getting up, putting his backpack on.

"Rough first day huh?" Tony asked.

"Understatement of the year." Brian said laughing alittle.

"Well don't worry, cause you know what they say about tomorrow." Tony said putting his arm around Brian.

"That it gets easier?" Brian asked.

"Nope, it gets hard. The only easy day is yesterday. But you got us to help out." Tony said.

"Well at least there's that." Brian said. "Though, I think I'm gonna like it here." He added as the four of them left the Bullpen.

…

There we go chapter 2. I didn't want to stay on one case for too long. Plus I want to do other cases down the road. Hope you enjoy this one and be on the lookout for chapter 3. Peace out.


	3. Worst Case Scenerio

At first there was darkness. A fuzzy darkness. A darkness that you see when you wake up from a long nap during the day. It was a darkness that Brian wasn't used to. Suddenly a bright light filled the area, blinding Brian to the point that it hurt. After a few moments as his eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light, Brian started to make out figures.

The obscure figures started to become clearer. The figures were in fact three men. The man in the middle was dressed in an expensive Italian suit with matching shoes. The two men to his right and left were dressed in simple jeans and t-shirts. Compared to the middle man, these guys were under dressed.

"Ah you're awake." The middle man said in a deep British accent.

"I don't recall asking for a wakeup call at the front desk." Brian said weakly but still with enough sarcasm.

Brian was now realizing where he was exactly. He was in a windowless room, that had a lone light bulb hanging down from the ceiling. It was very cliché in a way. Brian was in a chair, his arms bounded and tied behind his back. Blood was trickling down the side of his mouth as his forehead dripped sweat. His right eye was starting to swell and blacken.

"That mouth of yours is a problem. Rex, help him keep it shut." The middle man said to the large man on the left. He walked up to Brian and punched him square in the jaw. "Will you be quiet now?"

"Maybe." Brian said spitting some blood onto the floor.

"Well, either way you will tell me what I want to know!" The middle man growled at Brian. Brian sat in the chair and stared at the men before him, wondering how he got into this situation.

_~*A few days earlier*~_

Brian has been working for NCIS for about 2 months now and he was starting to get come into his own as an agent. And he was getting along with the other agents too. He especially got along with Ziva. Gibbs tended to partner him with her. Probably because she was the newest member of the team before Brian.

"So Probie two months already. Is it living to your expectations?" Tony asked from his desk.

"Oh and then some. It beats an average 9 to 5 job." Brian said.

"That's what I think. I would hate sitting at a desk for 8 hours." Ziva said.

"I couldn't imagine you sitting at a desk for that long. You'd probably stuff a stapler down the pants of the first intern to annoy you." Tony said.

"I could see the same thing actually." McGee added.

"I don't know if I should take that as a complement." Ziva said.

"Well figure it out while we're working." Gibbs said walking into the pen.

"What's the job?" Tony asked.

"This man." Gibbs said pushing the button on a remote, a picture of a man appearing on the large screen. "Boris Wallace. British millionaire, known arms dealer and a thorn in the NCIS for years now. He's in town and we are working with the FBI to set up a sting to get him."

"How are we doing that?" McGee asked.

"We're gonna send someone in under cover to get close to him and pin a recent shipment of illegal weapons to him." Gibbs said.

"Who are you gonna send?" Ziva asked.

"The problem is Boris knows all the members of this team except for one." Gibbs said turning to face Brian.

"Me? Under cover?" Brian asked. "I don't know…Tony's the better man at this sort of thing."

"Yeah but you are completely unknown to Boris. He has nothing on you. So you are perfect for the job." Gibbs said.

"Okay, I don't really have any way of getting out of it. How am I getting to him?" Brian asked.

"Boris is a known gambler and there is a large charity poker tournament behind held in DC in a few days. You're gonna enter the tournament and get in with his good side." Gibbs said.

5 days later, Brian was standing in a nice luxary hotel room, dressed in a nice suit, as FBI and NCIS agents were setting up equipment to monitor Boris.

"I haven't had to wear a suit like this since my cousin's Bar Mitzvah." Brian said to himself adjusting his tie.

"I think you look handsome in it." Ziva said, causing Brian to turn a nice shade a light pink. "Here put this in your ear." She added handing Brian a small ear piece. "With this you can hear everything we say."

Brian nodded and placed the ear piece into his right ear. McGee then walked up and handed Brian a pair of black rimmed glasses.

"Put these on too." McGee said.

"What for?" Brian asked putting the glasses on.

"There's a small hd camera in the middle of the frames. It allows us to see what you see." McGee said.

"Oh awesome. Do I get a cool car and a laser pen?" Brian asked, kind surprised no one caught onto to the reference. "James Bond. Really? No one got it?"

"We got it kid, just not important." Gibbs said. "Now the tournament is starting soon. Remember what you have to do."

"Get Boris's trust, find out if he's connected to the shipment of weapon, and then we arrest him and we're home before Murder She Wrote comes on." Brian said.

"Right. Now get out there." Gibbs said.

"Good luck probie." Tony said patting Brian on the shoulder.

"Thanks Tony." Brian said.

"Be safe Brian." Ziva said.

"Don't worry I will." Brian said heading out the door.

He got into the elevator and headed to the ground floor. When he got there he walked out of the elevator and walked towards the reception hall where the tournament was being held. He looked around the room as there were already a large number of people here.

"Testing, Brian can you hear us?" Gibbs said into Brian's ear.

"Yeah I can. You got visual on the crowd?" Brian asked.

"We do. Everything is working fine. Now according to the table placements, Boris is at the table to your right." Gibbs said.

Brian looked to his right and sure enough Boris was sitting at the table. Brian straightened his tie and walked over to the open seat at the table and sat down.

"Welcome my young friend. Nice to see such youth participate with a good cause." Boris said to Brian.

"I like to help those less fortunate." Brian said setting his chips onto the table.

"Me too. I came from a poor family so I know how hard it is to make a pound." Boris said betting some chips as the dealer dealt the cards. Brian's were pocket aces, spade and heart.

"You're quite known even over here as one of the richest men in England. What's your secret?" Brian asked.

"I have two rules. Rule one; never use your own money for investments. Rule two; never give away all you know for free." Boris said. That was when Brian noticed the large man standing behind Boris.

"Bodyguard?" Brian asked motioning to the two men as the dealer dealt the flop. A 3 of clubs, king of diamonds, and a 7 of diamonds.

"Yes. Can't be too careful. There are people who are not who they say they are." Boris said, which caused Brian to tense up slightly.

"Relax kid. He isn't aware of who you are yet. Just remain calm." Gibbs said into his ear.

"Wish I could afford that. Be nice to have two guys doing my lifting for me." Brian said betting more chips as the last two cards were dealt. A 4 of spades and an ace of clubs.

"It has its advantages and disadvantages." Boris said betting chips.

"Disadvantages?" Brian asked curious.

"They take their job very serious. Which is good, but it makes it hard for some privacy." Boris said. "Two pairs. 7s and Kings." He added flipping his cards over.

"I can understand that." Brian said. "3 aces."

"Not bad. You played before." Boris said.

"Yeah I used to go down to Atlantic City when I was a teenager and sneak into the casinos." Brian said.

Boris laughed heartedly. This was a good sign. As the night went on, the conversations between Brian and Boris went like that. They two talked about everything. Brian lying about everything about his past.

A few hours later the event started to wind down. Eventually the charity holding the event thanked everyone for their donations and wished everyone a good night.

"Well Boris it was a pleasure meeting you." Brian said shaking the man's hand. He watched as another bodyguard walked up to Boris.

"Same here." Boris said as the new man leaned down and whispered something into his ear. "I see. Brian, care to join me in my hotel room for a drink? I just received a nice bottle of 1879 Italian wine and would love for you to taste it."

"I'd love to. I'll be up in five. I just have to go to the bathroom really quick." Brian said.

"Of course. My room is room 311B." Boris said walking off to his room. When he was out of ear shot, Brian put his finger to his ear.

"You get that Gibbs?" Brian asked.

"Yes. You're doing good kid. Just keep it up." Gibbs said.

"Why could the arms dealer be a woman and this would be a great scenario." Tony said.

"Oh hush up Tony." Ziva said.

"Can I get back to work?" Brian asked.

"Yes. Go get him kid." Gibbs said.

Brian removed his finger and headed for Boris's hotel room. When he got there, he knocked. He waited for a few moments and then one of Boris's bodyguards answered the door.

"Ah Brian. Welcome. Please come in." Boris said motioning for Brian to enter. Brian did, when the other bodyguard came out from behind the door and hit Brian in the back of the head with a blackjack.

_~*Present*~ _

"I knew something was odd about you." Boris said reaching into Brian's ear and pulled out the ear piece. "You're a cop."

"I guess you can say that." Brian said, getting another punch from the body guard, knocking his glasses off. Brian felt his nose break after that punch and the blood started to flow down.

"Well it's too bad for whoever was on the other end of this ear piece. The moment you were knocked out a jammer was placed so the other end couldn't hear anything. Also our location is nowhere near the hotel so the cops will never find us." Boris said.

"Why go through all this trouble?" Brian asked.

"Simple. I knew the feds were suspicious of my shipment of weapons coming in. And that they would try to finally stop me. I don't blame them." Boris said snapping his fingers. Then one of the bodyguards pulled out his gun and handed it to Boris. This wasn't a normal gun. It was clear and looked fake.

"The newest invention in guns. 100% functional, 100% plastic. They are completely invisible to metal detectors. You can just walk right into a airport with one. I'll make millions." Boris said handing the gun back to the bodyguard.

"Okay…that is a ingenious idea." Brian said.

"Glad you think that." Boris said sarcastically. "Now how to deal with you? Oh I have a splendid idea!"

Boris reached into his jacket and produced a large knife. He started poking the tip of it with his finger testing the sharpness. Brian felt a small twang of fear run through his spine at the sight of the knife.

"How should I handle you? Should I just slice your throat?" Boris asked waving the knife around. "Should I cut your ear off and send it to the FBI? I think I'll just show you how sharp it is right now."

Boris then placed the knife on Brian's cheek and sliced down, leaving a large cut on Brian's face. Brian let out a sharp yell at the pain.

"How does it feel? Feel good?" Boris asked.

"Screw you." Brian said fighting back the urge to tear up at the pain.

"Oh I have an idea. Lorena Bobbit." Boris said. "We'll cut off his thing and mail it to a major news station."

Brian went wide eye at the though and struggled to break freak from the ropes before his manhood was cut off. Before Boris had a chance to cut anything though, the door to where ever they were was kicked in. Gibbs and the FBI agent running the joint op barged into the room, guns pointed at Boris.

"Put the knife down Wallace." Gibbs said.

Boris dropped the knife and put his hands into the air, along with his bodyguards. A few FBI agents walked into the room and started arrest Boris and his men. Gibbs walked over to Brian and started untying him.

"Seems like we got here just in time." Gibbs said.

"A little sooner would have been better." Brian said rubbing his raw wrists after getting them freed from the ropes.

"Let's get you out of here rookie." Gibbs said, putting Brian's arm around him, holding Brian up. The two headed out the door as the natural light blinded Brian alittle. When his eyes adjusted, Brian saw that they were on a large cargo ship.

"Is this Boris's cargo ship?" Brian asked weakly as the two walked down towards the dock.

"Yes. We found some crew when we got here to find you and we found some crew members. They quickly confessed that this was his ship." Gibbs said.

"How did you know I was here? Boris jammed the ear piece." Brian asked.

"McGee's glasses. They still had the camera on, we saw where you were taken exactly." Gibbs said.

As the two got onto the docks, Brian saw Tony, Ziva, McGee, even Ducky and Abby waiting by an ambulance.

"What is this? A welcome party?" Brian asked jokingly, smiling weakly.

The others laughed as Tony helped Gibbs help Brian sit down on the back of the ambulance. Abby quickly started to hug Brian.

"Give the probie a moment to breathe Abby." Tony said.

"What did they do to you Brian? You took quite a beating" Ducky asked examining Brian.

"You know the scene in Rocky, when Rocky is in the butcher shop and punches the meat? I was the meat." Brian said wincing as Ducky checked Brian's nose.

"Well they clearly broke you nose. I'd grab something to hold onto and hold tight. This is gonna hurt a bit." Ducky said resetting Brian's nose, causing Brian to wince badly. The cartridge making that sickening sound.

"Oh man that hurt." Brian said sniffing alittle.

"What was he gonna do if Gibbs didn't burst in?" McGee asked.

"Remember Lorena Bobbit?" Brian asked.

Suddenly McGee, Tony, Gibbs, and Ducky and winced alittle and shifted awkwardly, knowing full well what would have happened.

"I don't get it. What would he have done?" Ziva asked confused.

Abby then leaned over and whispered what Lorena did to Ziva.

"Oh that? I've done that several times actually." Ziva said calmly, causing all the guys, except for Gibbs to take a small shift away from her.

"You gonna be okay kid?" Gibbs asked Brian.

"Yeah. Give me a day or so and I'll be back." Brian said as ducky stitched up the cut on Brian's cheek.

"I'll see if I can get you more than a day. You earned it." Gibbs said patting Brian's back. "I'll see you all back at the office."

"Brian, I must comment on your resiliency. There's no signs of any serious damage." Ducky said.

"If there's one thing I can do, it's take a punch." Brian said. "Am I good to head back to the office?"

"Surprisingly yes." Ducky said finishing up.

Brian nodded and hopped down from the ambulance, wobblingly alittle, causing the others to go to catch him.

"I'm fine." Brian said standing up. "Let's get going. I need a coffee."

The others agreed and started heading for the cars. For such eventful day, Brian could use something to take the edge off.

…

There we go chap 3 in the books. I promise the next chapter will focus less on actually cases and more on character development. Also the romance part of the story will finally start showing up. So check it out when it appears.


	4. One Way to Ruin a Party

"You know the worst part of a broken nose?" Brian asked. He was sitting at his desk, looking in a mirror at his busted nose. It has only been 24 hours since the incident with Boris Wallace and Brian was already back at work, despite getting some extra time off. Brian just couldn't stay away from this job.

"Besides the fact that it's broken?" Ziva asked.

"Well that. But also, half the time, I can't smell anything. Honestly can't smell a thing right now." Brian said poking his slightly disfigured nose. "Though now I can't smell my roommates awful cooking."

"We're just lucky that the jammer didn't stop the camera." McGee said.

"Yeah or else you'd be a eunuch right now." Tony said.

"I still shudder at the thought of that happening." Brian said shuddering alittle.

"Why are you here kid? You got the weekend off." Gibbs asked walking into the pen.

"My roommates parents are in town and I couldn't stand being stuck there all weekend. I'd rather call Boris up and go back to his boat." Brian said taking a sip from his coffee.

"Are they that bad?" Ziva asked.

"They like to sing songs….badly." Brian said shaking his head.

"Like what?" McGee asked.

"Top 40 hits. So nothing but pop." Brian said making the motion of shooting himself in the head with his fingers.

"I feel your pain." Tony said shaking his head.

"So what's up Boss? A case?" McGee asked.

"Yes. We got a claim of a drug ring near bye and we're gonna be checking it out." Gibbs said. As everyone started to stand up, Gibbs pushed Brian back into his seat. "Not you kid. You're not cleared to."

"Aw really? What am I supposed to do?" Brian asked.

Tony grabbed a box from behind his desk and placed it on Brian's, with an evil smirk.

"Old case files that haven't been uploaded into the computer. You got to do it by hand. Enjoy." Tony said walking off.

"Son of a bitch…." Brian said opening the box pulling out a file.

Several long hours later, Brian stared at the blinking computer screen. He's been through 40 case files and he still had another 60 to go. He rubbed his face as his eyes grew sore from the computer light. He leaned back in his chair and stretched. This was something he didn't want to do. Sitting at a desk while the others were off solving some crime.

"Hey Brian. What's wrong?" Someone asked behind him. He turned around to see Abby standing over him with her Café-Pow.

"Oh hey Abs. Nothing just taking a break from case files." Brian said, scratching his face.

"Where are the others?" Abby asked looking around.

"Off on a case. I couldn't go, cause you know." Brian said drawing a circle around his face with his finger.

"Right right. I gotta say, you look absolutely bored." Abby said taking a long sip from her drink.

"I am. Sitting at a desk for this long drives me nuts." Brian said yawning. "Think I'm gonna head home for the night. Later Abby."

"Bye Brian." Abby said as Brian got up and left.

The next morning Brian walked into the Pen, holding a cup container with coffees in them.

"Coffee run." Brian said as McGee, Tony, and Ziva all grabbed their cups.

"Thanks Brian." Ziva said, taking a long sip from hers.

"Thanks Probie." Tony added.

"No problem." Brian said taking his cup and tossing the holder into the trash. He was about to take a sip when Gibbs walked by and snatched his coffee right out of his hands.

"Thank kid." Gibbs said taking a sip.

Brian just stood there, his hand still holding the imaginary cup as he shook his head.

"No problem I guess." Brian said.

"What's the problem Boss?" Tony asked. "Dead soldier?"

"No." Gibbs said.

"Terrorist attack?" McGee asked.

"No." Gibbs answered again.

"Drug ring?" Brian asked.

"Again no." Gibbs said.

"Then what is it?" Ziva asked.

"I'm being forced to attend a party in my honor." Gibbs said.

Everyone but Brian just nodded as Brian looked confused.

"Forced?" Brian asked.

"Gibbs never attends these things. Doesn't like them." Tony whispered to him.

"Oh…" Brian said.

"I want all of you there tonight. And if you aren't I'll put you on cold case files for a month." Gibbs said threateningly.

"Yes Gibbs." Everyone said in unison as Gibbs stormed out of the room.

"So what now? Do we go home?" Brian asked.

"I guess. Unless you keep a suit here." Tony said.

"Good point." Brian said.

"Well then I'm gonna have to go shopping for a dress. I'll see you guys later." Ziva said almost annoyed, as she left.

Brian was about to follow suit, but Tony and McGee blocked him before he could leave.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked.

"We wanted to ask you a few questions. You know, since this is the first chance we've gotten over the past 2 months." Tony said.

"Okay….what kind of questions?" Brian asked very confused.

"Simple. Who you crushing on?" Tony asked.

Brian looked at him like he was a moron.

"What is this high school?" Brian asked.

"No, but it's a simple question. Who do you think is cute and shit." Tony said.

Brian shook his head as he thought about it. The only two girls he really met were Abby and Ziva.

"Well I guess Ziva is pretty attractive…" He said before getting interrupted.

"I knew it! 20 bucks McGeek." Tony said victoriously as McGee gave Tony a 20 dollar bill.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Brian asked.

"We made a bet on who you would find cuter more." Tony said smiling at his new 20.

"You're idiots." Brian said shaking his head and leaving.

It was a weird moment overall. Like why was it their business to know who he liked. And why was it such a big deal.

"Ah come on Probie, lighten up. We're just messing with you." Tony said as the two caught up with Brian.

"Yeah we all were asked the same thing when we first started." McGee said.

"Oh really? Who did you choose?" Brian asked.

"I picked Abby." McGee said.

"And you Tony?" Brian asked.

"I was never asked that. Gibbs couldn't care really." Tony said.

Brian shook his head as the three of them head out of the office. A few hours later, Brian was standing back in the Pen, wearing a tux.

"So why does Gibb's hate these things?" Brian asked Tony.

"He just doesn't. I think it's his humble nature. He just wants to do his job." Tony said simply.

"Make sense." Brian said.

"Hopefully this time, I get to keep this tux on and not get beaten up." Brian said after a few moments of silence.

"We could beat you up ourselves if it makes you more comfortable." Tony said as the two of them laughed.

"Funny." Brian said still chuckling.

"What's funny?" Brian heard Ziva ask. He turned around to explain the joke, but instead his jaw dropped. Ziva was in a beautiful dress and had her hair up. "What? Something wrong?"

Tony had to elbow Brian in the back to snap him out of it.

"Oh no nothing is. Just, wow. You look amazing." Brian said.

"Really? I thought it was alittle much." Ziva said smiling. "You don't look to bad yourself."

Brian could help but blush alittle as Tony smirked at Brian.

"Shut up." Brian mouthed at Tony.

"Alright let's get this damn thing over with." Gibbs said walking by.

"Where's McGee and Abby?" Brian asked.

"Meeting us there." Ziva said as the four of them headed to the party.

The four of them climbed into a limo that was waiting for them.

"Wow, first time ever riding in a limo." Brian said as it drove towards the party.

"You mean you didn't get one for prom?" Tony asked.

"Didn't go to my prom." Brian said simply.

"Why not?" Tony asked. "Couldn't get a date?"

"Actually yeah. I was a nerd back then. In fact." Brian said reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He took out a small picture and handed it to Tony. "That's what I looked like."

"Oh my god." Tony said laughing. The picture was of Brian at 16, wearing big glasses and a couple of pimples on his face. "You were hideous."

"Gee thanks Tony." Brian said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

"You looked like the kids I stuffed into lockers." Tony added.

"I was one of those kids. I was stuffed into them daily. "Thankfully life got better after high school."

"Yeah imagine if it didn't." Tony said.

As Tony, Brian, and Ziva laughed at Brian's old picture, the limo pulled up to the building holding the party. However there were several cops there and ambulances. Everyone was outside talking in a large unison.

"Da hell?" Brian asked getting out of the car, helping Ziva out.

"Abby, McGee! What the hell is going on here?" Gibbs asked the two, as they came running up.

"There was an accident Gibbs." Abby said.

"What kind?" Gibbs asked.

"A general from the Navy was found dead. Police are inspecting it right now." McGee said. Everyone then got into NCIS mode and headed for the body.

Sure enough it was a general on the ground, a pool of blood near his head.

"Boss…look at the side of his head." Tony said to Gibbs.

Gibbs knelt down to the body and examined the side. Sure enough there was a bullet hole there.

"Guess this means the party is canceled…." Brian said as Gibbs looked at the crew.

…

There we go. Alittle more depth into the character of Brian. I hope you enjoyed it as it was a pain to write this chapter. For some reason I had trouble with it. Well please enjoy it.


	5. Locked In

Brian looked at the dead general more cops showed up to block off the paths.

"Okay we got a dead general that was shot in the head at a party for Gibbs honor. Anyone else smell foul play?" Brian asked.

"Not the time for jokes kid." Gibbs said sternly.

"Sorry Gibbs." Brian said.

"Name was Walter Coolings." Tony said pulling out the general's wallet. "Wow 5 star general too."

"Jethro I think this body was moved." Ducky said examining the body.

"What makes you think that?" Gibbs asked.

"Well there's a small trail of blood. I believe the man was shot and a rag or something put on the wound to cover the bleeding, then he was dropped here." Ducky said.

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

"I think to hinder the investigation. You see this wound is a clear two sided wound. There's an entry and exit point. Now we have to find the bullet." Ducky said pointing to the holes.

"And now we don't know where it is. The man could have grabbed it and ran already leaving us with nothing." Gibbs said.

"Unfortunately yes." Ducky said solemnly.

"Ducky I want this body examined ASAP. Tony, McGee, Ziva, Abby, Kid, back to the office now!" Gibbs demanded. Everyone nodded and got into their respective cars and headed back to the office. When they got there everyone got changed into the uniforms.

"Alright. I have the police holding everyone at the hall. I want a full sweep of that building. McGee and Tony, you question the guests. I want you to sweep the entire hall itself and get a guest list as well. Ziva and Brian, question the workers. You find anything report it back to me right away.

"Gotcha." Brian said as he and Ziva headed into the hall.

"Who should we question first?" Brian asked.

"The kitchen help." Ziva said.

"Why them?" Brian asked.

"Because they know more than you think. People will openly talk in front of them because they are never a thought to the average person." Ziva stated.

"I get it. So they might have heard something that could be creditable towards the case." Brian said.

"Exactly." Ziva said as the two walked to a man that was talking to some cooks.

"NCIS." Brian said holding up his badge. "I'm Agent Cice and this is Agent David. We have a few questions for you."

"Of course. My name is Jeff Stiles I am the owner of this banquet hall." The man said. "Is it true the man who was shot was a general?"

"Sadly yes. We're gonna need to question the workers. We'd like to start with the kitchen if that's okay." Brian said.

"Of course. Follow me." Jeff said leading Brian and Ziva. The three walked to the kitchen, where they were surprised by the fact it was completely empty.

"Where is everyone?" Ziva asked looking around.

"They must have went outside to talk to the police. I'll be right back with them." Jeff said leaving the kitchen.

"You know that man doesn't sit well with me." Ziva said looking around the kitchen.

"He didn't seem that weird. He looked genuinely concerned about the General." Brian said.

Just then a loud noise rang out. Both Brian and Ziva looked at the door to see someone doing something to the handle. The two ran to the door just as the masked man ran off.

"What the hell was that guy doing?" Brian asked.

Ziva pulled the handle of the door but it wouldn't budge.

"Locking us in here." She said.

"Great….does this happen often?" Brian asked sighing heavily.

"More often than you'd think." Ziva said sitting down in a chair, her head in her palms. "Do you think it was Jeff?"

"I don't know. Gibbs you there?" Brian asked into his walkie. Then only thing he got back was static.

"Hello Gibbs?" Brian asked, only to receive more static.

"Can't get through." Brian said hitting his walkie. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "No bars either. Dammit. What kind of kitchen gets no service?"

"This one apparently." Ziva said kicking an empty can on the floor hard, sending it crashing into the wall behind Brian.

"What do we do now?" Brian asked.

"What else? Sit and hope the others notice we are missing and come looking for us." Ziva said.

Brian exhaled in a pissed off tone and leaned against a table, staring at the door.

"Well this beats doing cold case filing." Brian said.

Ziva didn't answer. The two of them stood there in a silence for a few minutes. To Brian it felt more like more than a few. It felt like an awkward 30 minutes.

"Say Brian." Ziva said finally breaking the silence. "Why did you join the military?"

"Odd question. Why do you want to know?" Brian asked.

"Just wondering. We've been working together for 2 months and I don't really know anything about you."

"Well in that case." Brian said sitting down in a chair. "I joined cause I thought I had too. My great grandpa served, my grandpa served, my dad served, so I figured I should serve too. Keep the tradition alive. How about you?"

"Well I started in the Israeli army and then eventually Mossad." Ziva said.

"How did you end up here?" Brian asked.

"There was a situation that required me to come here. After the situation was fixed, I was assigned as a liaison in a NCIS/Mossad role. Then I became a full time agent." Ziva said. Brian felt like she was skimping on some details.

"What was the situation?" Brian asked.

"I'd rather not talking about it." Ziva said defensively.

"Alright my bad." Brian said.

"It's okay. You were just asking. So moving on. Tell me more about you." Ziva said. "When did you go from that high school picture into you now?"

"Probably my freshman year of college. That was when my face became clear and I got contacts." Brian said.

"Where did you go?" Ziva asked.

"Temple in Philadelphia. Nice college." Brian said leaning back in his chair.

"Was it fun?" Ziva asked.

"For the most part yeah." Brian said. "Did you attend college?"

"No after high school I went right into the military. What's it like?" Ziva asked, almost excited.

"It's a unique experience. The campus was like its own little town. There was a bar, small restaurants, stores, even a dentist." Brian said.

"What did you do for fun?" Ziva wondered.

"Well I played soccer a lot." Brian said.

"Oh I love football. Can't remember the last time I played." Ziva said.

"Well when we get out of here we should play sometime." Brian said.

"Promise?" Ziva asked.

"Promise." Brian said smiling.

"So what about your personal life?" Ziva asked.

"What do you want to know?" Brian asked.

"Girlfriend?" She asked curiously.

"No girlfriend at the moment. Had one a few months ago when I was in boot camp." Brian said.

"What happened?" Ziva asked.

"I got the call to come here. We knew a long distance relationship wouldn't work for us, so we called it off." Brian said shrugging alittle.

"Was it rough?" Ziva asked.

"Alittle, but then again, no break up is simple and painless." Brian said. "You?"

"No boyfriend. Most guys get intimidated by the fact I could beat them up." Ziva said.

"I can understand that. I find that attractive myself. I like a woman who take care of herself." Brian said.

"Really? What else do you look for in a woman?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing too big. If she can cook that's a huge plus, cause I'm just terrible. I burn ramen half the time." Brian said shaking his head.

"Really. I love cooking. Perhaps sometime I could cook you something." Ziva said with a smile.

"That would be nice. Tired of my roommates vegan cooking." Brian said sticking his tongue out in disgust for a second.

"Why do you have a roommate if you hate him so much?" Ziva wondered.

"He pays half the rent and he was the only one looking for a roommate when I moved here. I didn't know I was getting a spot on the team. I've been looking for a new place for about a week now but I had no luck yet." Brian said shrugging.

"You'll find a place." Ziva said.

"Here's hoping!" Brian added, crossing his fingers.

"How long have we been stuck in here?" Ziva asked.

"About 2 hours." Brian said checking his watch.

"Where the hell are Gibbs and the others?" Ziva asked.

"Ziva? Brian? You guys in there?" The two heard Gibbs yell.

"Right there apparently…" Brian said looking over to the door.

The two of them jumped up and ran to the door.

"Yeah we are." Ziva said. "Get us the hell out of here!"

The sound of a saw whirled as the sound of metal hitting the floor rang out. The door then opened. Brian saw Gibbs, holding the saw, along with Tony and McGee.

"Took you long enough!" Ziva said.

"We had to track down the killer to find out where you were!" Tony said defensively.

"Who did it?" Brian asked.

"The owner of the hall. Turns out the General was having an affair with his wife." McGee said.

Ziva turned to Brian and smirked at him.

"Didn't seem that weird huh?" She said in a mocking way.

":Okay okay. I was wrong." Brian said sighing.

"So how did he lock us in?" Brian asked.

"He welded a crowbar to the wall." McGee said.

"Figures. First I get beaten up then I get locked in a kitchen. This isn't some sick initiation ritual is it?" Brian asked.

"No Probie." Tony said putting his arm around Brian. "It's what we call another day on the job."

"Well I'm getting out of here. I need some sleep. Remember our promise Brian." Ziva said pointing at him.

"I won't I won't." Brian said defensively.

As Ziva walked off, Tony and McGee looked at Brian.

"What promise?" McGee asked.

"Nothing." Brian said cooly.

"What happened in there between you two?" Tony asked.

"Again, nothing." Brian said laughing. "Let's just get out of here."

Gibbs shook his head and he followed his three agents out of the building.

…

There we go. Alittle glimpse into Brian's past. Hope you guys like it. Read, review, enjoy. Good day to you all.


	6. Just Another Day

"Okay, from now one, we are not stopping for taking when transporting a suspect!" Gibbs said getting out of the NCIS truck.

"I haven't had a full meal in 3 days." Tony said getting out of the truck, holding a cheese burger, getting a head slap from Gibbs.

"But did you have to give the suspect your fries?" Ziva asked getting out of the truck and unloading the suspect from the back, who's holding a box of fries.

"I didn't want them." Tony said defensively.

"I didn't mind." Brian said jumping out, sipping a soda. Gibbs walked over, gave Brian a head slap and tossed his soda into the trash.

"Get this guy to the interrogation room already." Gibbs said sternly.

"Right boss." Tony said helping Ziva bring the guy to interrogation.

Brian watched from behind the glass as Ziva put the man in his chair and left the room. Her and Tony then walked into the observation room and stood next to Brian.

"Something doesn't sit right. Now I don't know how drug cartels work. But we got this guy alittle to easily. Not much struggle from either side." Brian said.

"Maybe we got lucky." Tony said.

"Luck doesn't exist." Gibbs said walking into the room.

"Brian you're interrogating him." Gibbs said handing the folder to Brian.

"Are you sure? I've never done this before." Brian said.

"Rule #14." Gibbs said.

"Never date a coworker?" Tony asked confused.

"I thought it was always sleep with a gun." Ziva said.

"You mean it isn't trash always goes out Tuesdays?" Brian asked.

Then Tony, Ziva, and Brian all received a head slap from Gibbs.

"Rule #14. Doing is the best way to learn." Gibbs said.

Brian nodded. He left the room and headed next door. He opened the door and shut it. He stared at the man quietly, looking at folder in his hand. Finally after a few moments, Brian places the open folder on the table, revealing a photo of a man getting out of a limo.

"Recognize him?" Brian asked simply.

"No I don't." The man says smirking.

"Well you better try your damn best to. Cause if you don't your ass is gonna be in a jail cell till it does." Brian said sternly. "Where does he rank in the Scarconzi Family?"

"I never seen him before in my life." The man said.

Brian stands up quickly, toppling his chair, slamming his fists on the table.

"Don't bullshit me. I know you seen him. Tell the truth! Or I swear to god I will put a bullet in my head personally!" Brian yelled.

"Alright alright! His name is Frankie Carzoll. He's one of the Michael Scarconzi's closes allies. Please don't hurt me I got wife and kids!" The man said breaking down into a sob.

Meanwhile behind the glass Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony watch the rookie work.

"He has a different approach to getting info." Ziva said to Gibbs.

"Sometimes you have to be tough to get them to talk." Gibbs said. "Tony go get McGee to get a background on Frankie Carzoll."

"Right Boss." Tony said leaving the room.

"Alright calm down. Have a cigarette." Brian said handing the sobbing man his pack. "So you got kids, how many?"

"2." The man said, lighting the cigarette with a shaky hand.

"Boy girl?" Brian asked.

"Both girls. Ages 5 and 6." The man said.

"Ah. Must be a handful" Brian asked. "Now what does Frankie Carzoll do for Scarconzi?"

"He is the inside man! He can get info on anything and anyone! And this is good intel. Things that almost seem impossible to get." The man said.

"Where does he live?" Brian asked sliding a pen and paper to the man. The man started to write down an address and gave it Brian, who read it.

"Alright. I'll be right back." Brian said gathering his folder and leaving the interrogation room. He went next door and walked into the observation.

"So what do you think Gibbs?" Brian asked, handing him the paper..

"I think he's telling the truth." Gibbs said.

"And Frankie Carzoll?" Brian asked.

"Sounds like a mole. But we can't be for certain until we get info on him." Gibbs said leaving the room.

"Oh by the way Brian, nice job getting the info." Brian said impersonating Gibbs. "Oh thanks Gibbs. I'm happy you were pleased with my job."

Ziva chuckled as Gibbs slapped Brian in the back of the head.

"I thought you left." Brian said.

"I forgot my coffee." Gibbs said sternly. "Follow me."

Brian shook his head as Ziva laughed alittle more as Brian and Ziva followed Gibbs.

"You should have known that was gonna happen." Ziva said.

"I know." Brian said following Gibbs to the pen.

"McGee, run that name through the system?" Gibbs asked.

"I did boss, not sure you're gonna like it though." McGee said.

"Who is he!?" Gibbs said.

"Frank Corzoll. Corporal in the army, dishonorably discharge 5 years ago." McGee said putting the man's army picture up.

"What was he discharge for?" Gibbs asked.

"Multiple drug charges." McGee said.

"Ziva, Kid. I want you to find this guy." Gibbs said. "I want him brought in now."

Brian and Ziva nodded as they left the pen.

"Why does Gibbs want this guy so much?" Brian asked.

"Supposedly he's been giving the mob insider info to arms deliveries and such." Ziva said.

"He's smuggling them weapons?" Brian asked.

"Pretty much." Ziva said.

"Just another day at the office I guess." Brian said as the two left the NCIS building.

As they walked towards the car lot, a black van pulled up to the sidewalk, Brian and Ziva were walking down. It seemed like an odd cat to Brian. The windows were complete tinted up, so he couldn't see inside.

The window on the van rolled down, and Brian caught sight off something. He eyes turned wide as he saw it was a gun barrel being poked out the window.

"Heads up Ziva!" He said tackling Ziva as bullets rang out, hitting the brick wall behind them.

And as fast as the bullets came, they were gone. Brian looked up to see the van speeding off into the distance.

"Well that was a close one." Ziva said.

"Yeah…it was." Brian answered, still looking down the road for the van.

"Enjoying yourself there Brian?" Ziva asked, with a small chuckle.

"What?" Brian asked looking down. That was when he noticed that his hand was square on her left breast. "WOH sorry!" He said quickly retracting his hand, and getting up. He had a deep blush on his face.

"What was that anyways?" Ziva asked.

"I think we're hitting a nerve in the mob." Brian said as Gibbs, Tony, and McGee came running out.

"What the hell happened." Gibbs asked.

"I think the Scarconzi family didn't like we arrested one of their members." Brian said.

"Also Brian got to second base." Ziva added, causing Brian to blush some more.

"Alright probie!" Tony said, getting a head slap from Gibbs.

"I want the four of you getting the bullets out of the wall and down to Abby now. I'm going to check the security feeds." Gibbs said.

As he left Tony, McGee, Brian, and Ziva started removing the bullets from the brick wall.

"So probie. What was second base with Ziva like?" Tony asked.

"It wasn't intentional. I pushed her down to get out of the bullets' path and my hand just happened to be there." Brian said defensively.

"Oh then was that you gun I felt poking me?" Ziva asked teasingly.

Tony and McGee couldn't help but laugh as Brian felt his face turn deeper pink.

"Ah relax Probie." Tony said. "Oh. Found a bullet!" Tony added as he pulled the small bullet out of the brick.

"Well it'll have to do since it's the only one that isn't completely messed up." Brian said. "Shall I run it down?"

"Go ahead." Tony said putting the bullet into a jar.

Brian closed the lid and headed back inside NCIS and jumped into the elevator. When he got down to forensics, he saw Abby dancing around like usual.

"Going heavy on the Cafe-Pows?" Brian asked.

"Not really." Abby said bouncing alittle.

"How many have you had?" Brian asked.

"3, 4, 5, 6." Abby said.

"Okay I'm cutting you off. I need you less bouncy and more forensicsy." Brian said holding up the jar.

"What's that?" Abby asked.

"Me and Ziva were shot at just outside the building. We need you to figure out where the slug came from." Brian said handing her the jar.

"You two were shot at? Oh my god! Are you okay? Is Ziva okay?" Abby asked, checking Brian for a bullet wound.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Brian said. "Hey I said I'm fine!" He said as Abby went to take his pants off.

"Fine then. If you say so." Abby said.

"Just run the bullet through." Brian said.

"Alright." Abby said as Brian placed the jar in the Abby's hand. Abby went to work, when Brian noticed a stuffed hippo on the table.

"Is this a stuffed hippo?" Brian asked looking at it.

"Yeah his name is Bert. Squeeze him." Abby said getting to work.

Brian picked up the hippo and squeezed it as it let out a loud fart. Brian couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's kinda funny." Brian said.

"What is?" Gibbs asked walking into the room with a café-pow.

"Nothing." Brian said putting Bert down.

"You find a bullet?" Gibbs asked, putting the café-pow on the table.

"We did. Abby is scanning it now." Brian said.

"You mean findin it!" Abby said hitting enter. "I found out what shot the bullet. It was fired from a M16."

"Wasn't a shipment of M16s stolen recently too?" Brian asked.

"Yeah they were." Gibbs said. "And they were stolen when they were en route to Carzoll's old base."

"Follow me. Thanks Abby." Gibbs said as he left the lab, Brian on his heels. They went back up to the pen and went to his desk and got his gun. "Load up people."

Brian went to his desk and put his gun in the holster on the back of his belt.

"Where are we going boss?" Tony asked.

"We're getting Frank Carzoll." Gibbs said. "Let's go now."

Brian followed the crew out to the van as every climbed in.

"I want this to be by the books. We can't risk anything. This is the mob. They are unpredictable." Gibbs said as they drove off.

Everyone said yes as they drove the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived at Frank's supposed address, they got out. Gibbs motioned for Tony and Ziva to go around back, and told Brian and McGee to cover.

As Gibbs went up to the door, Brian could help but marvel at the size of the house.

"Mob guys do well." Brian said as an off comment. Gibbs gave him a look. "Sorry."

Gibbs rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. After about a minute, Gibb's went to knock again, but then someone jumped out the window to their right. The person was Frankie Carzoll and he was going on the run.

"Should have seen this coming." Brian said as they started chasing Frankie.

They chased him down the street but Frankie always seemed one step ahead of them.

"I'll be right back." Brian said. He separated from the group and cutted though an alley way. Gibb's recognized the idea Brian had and made sure to lure Frankie to the opposite street. Just as Frankie rounded the corner, Brian tackled him, knocking to the ground.

"Finally. Why do you always run? It'll never end well." Brian asked Frankie as he slapped some cuffs on him. Gibbs and the others came up and picked Frankie up.

"I liked it when he did it to me more." Ziva said teasing Brian again.

"That was still an impressive tackle probie." Tony said.

"Yeah, smart idea looping around him." McGee said patting Brian on the back.

"Ah it was easy." Brian said.

"Hey, help get this guy into the van!" Gibbs said.

"On my way boss! Can we stopped for burgers again? I haven't eaten at all today." Tony asked getting another headslap from Gibbs. "Get him in the van."

Brian, Ziva, and McGee followed Gibbs and Tony and helped them get Frankie into the van. They all climbed in and drove back to head quarters. When they got back, Brian and Ziva dragged Frankie out of the van.

"Interrogation boss?" Brian asked.

"Not yet." Gibbs said simply. "Bring him to the holding cells."

"Roger." Brian said pulling Frankie to follow. Him, Ziva, and Frankie got into the elevator as Brian pushed the button for the holding cells.

"So. Enjoyed the feel?" Ziva asked again, smirking evilly.

"Really? How long you gonna keep bringing that up?" Brian asked.

"As long as you keep blushing like that." Ziva said pointing to Brian's pink face.

"Touche." Brian said as the elevator stopped and the doors open. Brian pushed Frankie out and lead him to guard. "Frankie Carzoll. A very special gift from Agent Gibbs." Brian said to the guard. The guard nodded and took Frankie Carzoll and locked him into a cell.

Brian nodded his thanks and headed back into the elevator, Ziva following suit.

"Do you think he'll crack?" Brian asked.

"With Gibbs interrogating him? I give him 30 minutes." Ziva said.

"I'd hate to have Gibbs that made at me." Brian said shaking alittle. "The man is scaring when he's not angry."

"That's just the appeal of Gibbs." Ziva said.

When the two got back to the Pen, Tony already had a bag of burgers on his desk.

"Probie, Ziva catch!" He said tossing a cheeseburger to them.

"Thanks man. I'm starving." Brian said taking a huge bite out of his burger.

"How long do you guys think Carzoll will last? Ziva says 30. I got 45." Brian said.

"I give him 40 minutes." McGee said.

"Put me down for 15 minutes." Tony said. "What's the pay out?"

"10 bucks?" Brian asked.

"Sounds good." Tony said.

"I'm gonna need a pair of baby shoes!" Ziva said excitedly, earning looks from the others. "Isn't that what you say during a gamble?"

"The phrase your thinking of is daddy needs a new pair of shoes and kinda." Tony said.

"Well now we just gotta wait and see." Brian said finishing his burger.

20 minutes later, they were all down in the observation room and watched as Gibbs sat at the table. He talked to Frankie, who seemed reluctant to answer any questions. Finally after some time Frankie broke down and started reveling info. He gave up the mob bosses locations, the shipment of firearms that were stolen, even stores that were fronts for drug rings, gambling rings, and prostitution rings.

"What's the official time?" Tony asked.

"40 minutes." Brian said. "Who had 40?"

Brian pulled out a piece of paper which had the block pool of times.

"I did." Gibbs said simply. "Don't gamble on this stuff again." He added giving all four of the agents a head slap.

"Sorry." They all said in apology.

"I feel like a 5 year old." Brian said.

"Just get back to work." Gibbs said.

Everyone nodded and went back to the pen to continue their work. Brian couldn't help but wonder what was next to come.

…

Chapter 6 up and done. Hope you enjoy it. Read and review.


	7. The Bite of a Snake

"Okay let's start from the top. So Frankie Carzoll gets kicked out of the army for constant drug use." Tony said sitting at his desk, holding a small nerf football. He throws the ball to McGee who catches it.

"His drug use also destroys his personal life, taking all his money and getting him kicked out by his girlfriend." McGee said throwing the football to Ziva.

"With no money and no place to go, the Scarcozzi family offer him a high paying job. He gives them weapons and they give him protection." Ziva said, she threw the ball to Brian, but Gibbs walked by and caught the ball before him.

"Nice catch boss. We going after Scarcozzi?" Brian asked.

"No. The FBI is keep tabs on them. We got more important things. We have two dead sailors." Gibbs said.

That was all he needed to say. Brian, Tony, Ziva, and McGee nodded as they got up. They left the pen and went to get changed into their uniforms. An hour later, they were standing on the beach, and sure enough, two dead bodies were in front of them.

"Bodies were found a few feet out into the ocean by two surfers. They brought the bodies onto shore and called the police." McGee said to Gibbs as Tony and Brian examined one of the bodies.

"Man, this guy was beaten up badly." Brian said examining the severe swelling and bruising on one of the sailor's face.

"Maybe they were part of some underground fight club." Tony said.

"Not very likely Tyler Durden." Gibbs said surprising everyone with that pop culture reference.

"Wow boss. I'm impressed." Tony said.

"Any tags or id on them Tony?" Gibbs asked, getting the crew back on track.

"Yeah. The one on the right is Randy Traves. The beaten one here is John Marley." Tony said holding up two driver's licenses from the sailor's pockets.

"They're still in uniform so this is surely foul play." Ziva said. "Could have they been dumped?"

"Mostly likely. But we won't know till we get them back to the lab for autopsy." Gibbs said watching the medics take the bodies back to NCIS HQ. After the crew finished the clean up, they got back into the truck and drove back to HQ. There they sat around the pen, waiting for the test results.

"So Brian. It's been 6 months since you joined our little group." Tony said from his desk.

"Yeah…what about it?" Brian asked confused.

"Well I was just wondering, have you found that special lady yet?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Is that an appropriate question?" Ziva asked.

"What it's just a simple question!" Tony said defensively.

"I doubt Brian wants to delve into his personal life right now." McGee said.

"Talk about Brian's personal life later." Gibbs said walking into the pen.

"Right boss….."Everyone said in unison.

"Ducky have results?" Gibbs asked.

"They were both killed with a .357. Also they both had this symbol carved onto their chest." Tony said putting the symbol up on the screen. The symbol was a circle with two lines through it. "Also the two sailors served on the same ship as Frankie Carzoll.

"McGee run a search on this symbol. See what you get." Gibbs said.

"No need to." Brian said walking up to the screen.

"You recognize it?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. It's the symbol for the Los Serpientes. They're a street gang that's all over the country. They handle everything from drugs to black market sales. They're just one good push away from being a terrorist sect. They also despise anyone military." Brian said.

"Sounds like you had some experience with these guys." Ziva said.

"There was a high ranking group in Philadelphia. They are a dangerous bunch." Brian said.

"There one near us?" Gibbs asked.

"Should be one down in The Burro." Brian said.

"Well you're coming with me down there. The rest, see what you can dig up on these guys." Gibbs said as Brian grabbed his gun and coat.

He followed Gibbs down to the garage and got into the car.

"I should warn you, we're not gonna be welcomed at all. And there's a chance bullets will start flying." Brian said.

"Well make sure it doesn't. How's your Spanish?" Gibbs asked.

"Fine…why?" Brian asked.

"Since you know so much about them you're our lead." Gibbs said as they drove to The Burro.

When they arrived Brian and Gibbs got out of the car and looked around. They street was alive with Mexican music and the smell of Mexican food. There were also many people in the streets, who were staring at Brian and Gibbs.

"Oh we stick out like a sore thumb." Brian whispered.

"Where would the Los Serpientes be?" Gibbs asked.

Brian looked around and saw what he was looking for.

"Over there at the diner." Brian said pointing to a large group who were conversing amongst themselves.

Gibbs nodded and walked over to the group, Brian following right behind him.

"Look at this guys. We got a couple of policies. You seemed to be lost fellas." One of the gang members said getting a laugh out of the others.

"We're looking for the leader of your gang." Gibbs said calmly.

"Gang? What gang? We're just a group of friends relaxing on the corner." The gang member said mockingly.

"We know who you are. We're looking for the Cobra. Where is he?" Brian asked interrupting .

This seemed to shut the gang member up.

"He's inside." The gang member said.

Gibbs and Brian nodded as they walked into the diner. Sure enough, the man who was clearly the leader, was seated at a table surrounded by women and gang members.

"Hello officers. Welcome to my little business venture. How can I help you?" The leader asked friendly.

Gibbs didn't answer right away. He took out photos of the two sailors and placed them in front of the leader.

"Recognize them?" He asked.

The man looked at the pictures studying them before he places them back down.

"Never seen them before. Why?" he asked innocently.

"They were found dead with your logo carved into them." Gibbs stated.

As Gibbs and the leader went back and forth, Brian kept an eye on the rest of the gang members. And Brian felt things were getting to tense.

"I have no knowledge of any involvement." The leader said.

"Then one of your little gang members did." Gibbs said getting annoyed.

"I doubt it. Besides you can't do anything without a warrant. So why don't you know back when you do." The leader said losing his attention with Gibbs.

"Let's get out of here. One wrong word and we're bullet ridden." Brian said as Gibbs collected the pictures.

"Cuida tus espaldas o que obtendrá poco." The leader said to the retreated agents.

"Watch our backs or we'll get bit." Brian said translating. "We really poked the bear on this."

After Gibbs and Brian got back to the NCIS HQ, the gang regrouped for a debriefing.

"Okay so the visit to the Burro was a bust. The Cobra was a dud who wasn't gonna crack that easily." Brian said.

"We found out that our two dead sailors had a previous encounter with the Los Serpientes." Tony said.

"A month ago Randy and John were involved in a bar brawl that ended with someone dying from injuries. That person, Hector Rodriguez, died from a blood clot sustained by a bar stool being broken over his ribs." McGee said.

"And let me guess. He's a member of the Serpientes?" Brian asked.

"Correct. In fact he is the younger brother of this man, Alberto Guerrero AKA," McGee said.

"The Cobra." Gibbs said.

"Sounds like motive to me." Ziva said.

"Yeah but we got to tread lightly. One false step and we're gonna end up with a crosshair on the back of our head." Brian said.

"Ziva could take them easily." Tony said.

"Let's hope." Brian said.

"Alright. Brian and Ziva head back down there and go keep an eye on them. Tony, McGee go get a warrant. I have a feeling that they are hiding something." Gibbs said walking off.

"Righto. Stake out. Great. Cause life's been going so fast lately." Brian said.

"Let's just get there and get it over with. Hopefully it'll be a quiet night." Ziva said.

Several hours later, Ziva is sitting in a room with a telescope pointing at The Burro. Brian walks in holding a cup container of coffees and a bag of food.

"Honestly, you'd think there be a Wawa near here." He said placing the bag and cups on the table.

"What's a Wawa?" Ziva asked pulling out her burrito, taking a large bite from it.

"Convenience store from back home. Great food." Brian said drinking his coffee. "Anything suspicious?"

"Nothing yet. I feel like this is gonna be like find hay in a needle stack." Ziva said.

"Needle in hay stack." Brian said correcting her Zivaism.

"Why would you drop a needle in hay?" Ziva asked.

"No idea. This is going nowhere fast." Brian said with an exaggerated sigh.

"These things take time. Wait…we got something. A black SUV just pulled up." Ziva said looking through the telescope. Brian grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked over at The Burro.

"Looks kind of familiar. Wait….is that Michael Scarcozi?" Brian asked.

"Looks like it. This is interesting." Ziva said.

"Think we finally found the market those m16s were going into." Brian said.

Sure enough, Michael Scarcozi's men opened the back of the SUV pulling out several military grade M16 rifles handing them to many of the Los Serpientes. The gang members looked very excited at the dangerous toys in their hands.

"So the Scarzcozi family steals the guns and then sell them to gangs." Ziva said.

"Sounds about right." Brian said putting his binoculars down. "Though I'm still wondering the connection between these gang bangers and the two killed sailors."

Ziva was about to answer when the door to the room was kicked in and several men with guns marched in and pointed their weapons at Brian and Ziva. The two drew their own guns and stood in a standoff with the intruders. Just then a man walked in pompously.

"Hello Agent David and Agent Cice." The man said.

"Who are you?" Brian asked.

"Why I'm Michael Scarcozi." The man said walking up to the two agents, taking Ziva's hand and kissing it. Ziva quickly retracted he hand and pointed her gun at the man.

"How can we be sure you're really him?" Brian asked.

"How? Well you just have to trust me." Scarcozi said smirking. "And if I were you, I'd lower my weapons and come with us. No point being killed here."

Brian and Ziva shared side glances with each other. They both lowered their weapons and had them taken by Scarcozi.

"Follow me." He said as Brian and Ziva followed, the armed gunmen behind them.

Brian and Ziva were transported to The Burro across the street.

"Ah, the little agent again." The Cobra said mockingly. "Oh and he has alittle chica with him. This is gonna be fun. Bring them inside."

The gunmen marched the two inside and lead them to a back room. It was a dark room that reminded Brian of the room he was trapped in when he was abducted by the british arms dealer. The two sat down in some chairs and were bounded to them, their arms tied to the arms. Then they were left alone as Scarcozi and Cobra plotted what to do next.

"This is the second time I've been bound to a chair by an arms dealer….what shitty luck do I have?" Brian asked struggling against the rope.

"I think your luck should be the least of our worries. I just want to know how they knew we were in that room?" Ziva asked.

"I've been keeping tabs on you agents ever since you caught Frankie Carzoll. I know about the FBI looking for me and everything." Scarcozi said walking back into the room.

"So why all this?" Ziva asked.

"Why? To have some fun of course." Scarcozi taking out a knife.

"Another knife? COME ON!" Brian said.

Scarcozi didn't like Brian's outburst. So he took the knife and stabbed Brian on his left hand. Brian screamed out as Scarcozi left the knife in his hand.

"Learn to hold your tongue." Scarcozi snapped at Brian who couldn't stop staring at the knife.

"Why are you doing this?" Ziva asked.

"Why? Because you arrested the man who got me the weapons. You are costing me money. And you're costing these lovely gentlemen money as well." Scarcozi said motioning to The Cobra.

"Plus the government has been a pain in the Los Serpientes asses for far too long. We'll send them a message not to mess with us." The Cobra said defiantly.

"So now a choice will be made. Who shall I butcher up? Hmm? The young rookie?" Scarcozi asked removing the knife from Brian's hand. He looked at the blade as blood dripped off it. He walked over and rubbed some of the blood onto Ziva's cheek. "Or the pretty woman? You have 5 minutes to decide."

And with that Scarcozi left the room, leaving the two agents with their thoughts.

"What do we do?" Ziva asked.

"Simple. I'll go first. You have a better chance of getting free." Brian said holding back the pain from his hand.

"No. Don't you know what these guys will do to you?" Ziva asked sounding alittle scared.

"Yeah I do. The gang back home once beheaded a rival gang member for fun." Brian said. "It's okay. I can handle this fine. Not the first time I've been tied to a chair."

Ziva wanted to answer but was interrupted by Scarcozi and the Cobra.

"Times up. Who's going first?" Scarcozi asked.

"I will." Ziva said defiantly.

"We have a child at home." Brian shouted to everyone's surprise.

"Oh you have a child?" Scarcozi asked Ziva.

"Oh uh…." She said unsure how to answer. She looked over to Brian who motioned for her to answer. "Yes. Yes we do."

"Boy, girl?" Scarcozi asked.

"Girl." Brian said. "Only a few months old."

"I see. Must have been a happy day for you. I remember the birth of my daughters. Each one warms my heart." Scarcozi said.

"Yeah so let her go. Don't orphan our daughter." Brian said losing some of his color from the knife wound.

"Why so she can go to the police?" The Cobra asked.

"You let her go and I promise she won't go to them." Brian said pleading.

Scarcozi looked at Brian then to Ziva. He was unsure what to think. Brian hoped he bought the bluff. After an eternity of silence, Scarcozi spoke.

"Untie her and bring her out." He told the Cobra.

"You sure?" The Cobra asked.

"Yes. Do it!" Scarcozi demanded.

The Cobra quickly obliged who untied Ziva and yanked her to her feet. As he led her out of the room, Ziva gave Brian one final look and Brian thought he saw a tear. The moment the two were out of the room, Scarcozi lunged forward and stuck the knife into Brian's stomach.

"You're lucky I'm a merciful man. Your daughter will hear stories of your bravery. I hope you suffer as you die." Scarcozi said as Brian started to lose consciences as his wounds continued to bleed. The room went dark as Brian felt himself black out.


End file.
